San Diego News

Phoenix, Arizona - Former San Diego State women’s basketball star Chelsea Hopkins has been added to the 2014 training camp roster of the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, the club announced Monday.

The 5-8 point guard joins the two-time league champion Mercury after playing overseas in Israel, following a three-game stint with the WNBA’s San Antonio Silver Stars late last season.

In 21 games this past winter, Hopkins averaged 16.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists for the Israeli pro team Bnot Hertzeliya. She shot 53 percent from the field, including a 35-percent clip from three-point range, and converted 74 percent of her free-throw attempts.

A two-year starter with the Aztecs after transferring from Duke University, Hopkins captured Mountain West Player of the Year honors as a senior in 2013 and also received honorable mention All-America recognition from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) after leading the Scarlet and Black to a program-record 27 victories and a second straight regular-season conference championship. The Las Vegas, Nev., native averaged 13.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.8 assists that season and topped the nation with four triple-doubles while ranking seventh in assists.

In addition, Hopkins established a new SDSU single-season record with 232 assists in 2013, completing her Aztec career with 442 helpers overall, which ranks fourth in school history.

Hopkins is the third SDSU player to have played in the WNBA after Jené Morris and Courtney Clements. Morris was drafted with the 11th overall selection by the Indiana Fever in 2010 and appeared in 25 games for the club that season, followed by a one-year stint with the Tulsa Shock in 2012.

Meanwhile, Hopkins' teammate Clements signed with the Atlanta Dream as a free agent prior to the 2013 season, helping the squad capture the WNBA Eastern Conference crown and earn a spot in the finals against the Minnesota Lynx. She appeared in 30 games as a reserve, averaging 2.0 points in 8.5 minutes per outing.

Under the direction of first-year head coach Sandy Brondello, the Phoenix Mercury open training camp on April 27 before tipping off its regular-season slate at home against the Seattle Storm on May 17.